Serena Williams reveals emotional reason she decided to take popular weight-loss drug
The 23-time Grand Slam victor claimed she's lost a total of 31 lbs since taking the medication
Rhianna Benson
In a bombshell new interview, tennis champ Serena Williams has admitted to joining the ever-growing list of celebs using a GLP-1 medication to assist with weight loss.
Speaking to PEOPLE this week, the 43-year-old sportswoman revealed she'd shed a staggering 31 lbs with the help of the controversial medication, claiming she began taking to drug to aid her general health.
Whilst Williams hasn't yet revealed exactly which brand of injectable medication she'd been prescribed, she did turn to the direct-to-patient healthcare company Ro.
And given how many stars have made similar admissions in recent years, the likelihood is that she's was prescribed a variation of either Ozempic or Wegovy. Both are brands for drugs containing the active ingredient semaglutide.
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This is a type of GLP-1 agonist, which is traditionally prescribed to individuals battling type 2 diabetes, as well as adults struggling with chronic weight management.
These medications can trigger weight loss, being that the natural GLP-1 hormone is mimicked to reduce appetite and slow digestion, which in turn increases the feeling of fullness and can lead to a reduction in calorie intake
Amongst the horde of huge-name stars who've admitted to taking these types of medication in a bid to help shed a few pounds are the likes of Sharon Osbourne, James Corden, Rebel Wilson, Amy Schumer, Kathy Bates, Adam Lambert, Lizzo and Amanda Bynes.
And as we say, mother-of-two Serena Williams just joined that list.
Reflecting on the weight she's lost so far, the former World No. 1 told press this week: "I feel great. I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally."
Williams went on to confess to first feeling down about her physique following the birth of her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, eight years ago.
"I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained," she explained.
"It was crazy because I'd never been in a place like that in my life where I worked so hard, ate so healthy and could never get down to where I needed to be at."
Claiming she 'never' took 'shortcuts in her career' and 'always worked really hard', the Grand Slam victor went on to insist: "I know what it takes to be the best."
Williams went on to add: "So it was very frustrating to do all the same things and never be able to change that number on the scale or the way my body looked."
The star battled the same difficulty back in 2023 after welcoming her second daughter Adira River, claiming after losing considerable weight in the first two weeks postpartum, she struggled to shed any more afterwards.
"I just thought, gosh, I don't know if I would ever be able to get back to where I needed to get to," she continued.
After her doctor suggested a GLP-1 medication as an aid to her distress, Williams admits to being initially reluctant.
"I did a lot of research on it. I was like, 'Is this a shortcut? What are the benefits? What are not the benefits?'," she explained. "I really wanted to dive into it before I just did it."
Now, after losing 31 lbs, the athlete feels better in every way possible.
"I just can do more. I'm more active," she continued. "My joints don't hurt as much. I just feel like something as simple as just getting down is a lot easier for me. And I do it a lot faster.
"I feel like I have a lot of energy and it's great. I just feel pretty good about it."